"Balanced, funny, provocative and most of all, important for anyone wanting to understand girlhood in America." E. Lockhart, "New York Times"bestselling author of"We Were Liars" Barbie just might be the most famous doll in the world. She has represented fifty different nationalities. She s stepped into the always-fashionable shoes of more than one hundred twenty careers. She has been played with, studied, celebrated, and criticized for more than fifty years. And she has unquestionably influenced generations of girls whether that influence has been positiveor negative depends on whom you ask. Acclaimed nonfiction author Tanya Lee Stone takes an unbiased look at how Barbie became the icon that